One in four Indian married couples Is overweight or obese but why?

             Written by: Mantasha

18 September 2025

Researchers used data from 52,737 married couples from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21). They measured overweight/obesity using Asian BMI cut-offs (BMI ≥ 23).

What the Study Did

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About 27.4% of couples showed “concordance”, both spouses were overweight or obese. Concordance is much higher among wealthier, urban, educated, and media-exposed couples.

Overall Findings

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Kerala tops the list with ~51.3% of married couples overweight/obese together. Other high states: Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Delhi, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Punjab (all ≥ about 42-48%).

Which States Are Most Affected

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Urban couples: ~38.4% concordance of overweight/obesity. Rural couples: ~22.1%. In the richest wealth quintile, ~47.6% of couples matched in overweight/obesity. In the poorest, just ~10.2%.

Urban vs Rural, Rich vs Poor

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Shared behaviors are big: frequent use of processed/ultra-processed foods, high media exposure (TV, newspapers), and reduced physical activity. Also, similarity in education levels and age helped align weight status.

Lifestyle & Shared Habits

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Because many couples are developing obesity together, interventions targeting couples or households may be more effective than individual-only strategies.

Why It’s a Big Health Concern

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Couples can support each other: cook healthier meals together, reduce processed foods, agree on shared activity routines, and many more action can help.

What Couples Can Do & Takeaway

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